Out of everything the New York Knicks did to swing Game 1 of the NBA Finals in their favor, playing Jalen Brunson whenever Victor Wembanyama was on the bench might’ve been their wisest move of all.
It’s also a wrinkle the San Antonio Spurs may iron out in Game 2, and beyond.
Wemby was on the sidelines in Game 1 for a little over 10 minutes. Brunson played every single one of them. And it was much to the Knicks’ benefit. They outscored the Spurs by seven points during these stretches, while posting an offensive rating of 136.4.
This stands in stark contrast to how New York fared when both superstars played. They shared the court for nearly 27 minutes. In that time, the Knicks were minus-one, with an offensive rating of 96.4.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say this approach tilted Game 1 toward New York. It would, however, be a stretch to think San Antonio won’t do anything about it.
Jalen Brunson will have to face more of Victor Wembanyama moving forward
The Spurs have to some extent already hinted at this change. They played Luke Kornet for just 45 seconds in the fourth quarter before pulling the plug, and putting Wemby back in for the rest of the final frame.
This isn’t a signal that the reigning Defensive Player of the Year will ferry 48-minute workloads. But if Kornet or whomever the Spurs trot out as the backup center has a shorter hook, head coach Mitch Johnson will need to be more strategic with his minutes distribution.
Mirroring Wemby’s court time with Brunson’s is low-hanging fruit. The Knicks’ captain was most uncomfortable with the 7’4” alien on the hardwood.
Brunson was 6-of-20 from the floor, with just two shots coming at the rim, when Wemby was in the game. With San Antonio’s superhuman on the bench, he shot 6-of-11 from the field. And nearly half of those looks came at the rim (five).
This is, without question, the most obvious and effective adjustment the Spurs can make. It sure beats De’Aaron Fox’s alternative suggestion for slowing Brunson down anyway. And the Knicks need to be ready for it.
The Knicks will have answers when the Spurs play this card
Although it’s not ideal, the Knicks won’t be dead-on-arrival if the Spurs tether more of Wemby’s minutes to Brunson’s floor time. They have counters.
Assuming San Antonio attaches Wemby to Josh Hart more frequently, New York can insert Landry Shamet as a spacier curveball. If he’s playing further off Karl-Anthony Towns than he did in Game 1, the Knicks can reshape the geography of the court by putting KAT in the dunker’s spot, having someone else screen for Brunson, and let him operate from mid-range.
New York can also deemphasize JB’s scoring by using him as a screener, spacer, and ball-mover. That seems like a win for the Spurs on its face, but it’s a lethal contingency when the offense can still feature KAT’s bulldozing drives, and Mikal Bridges’ trademark pull-ups or flashes to the middle of the floor.
Heck, the Knicks could even try running Brunson for longer stretches, and dare San Antonio to play Wemby more consecutive minutes than he’s used to logging.
Options abound. That is what makes these Knicks special, if not what makes them title favorites. They just have to make sure they’re prepared to deviate from the script once the Spurs attempt to undermine what may have been their most valuable weapon in Game 1: JB’s minutes without Wemby.
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